Retractable window shades or the like are often actuated by pulling on a suspended length of cord to raise the shade. Typically the action of pulling on the cord and raising the shade results in an excess length of chord extending below the level of the end of the cord when the shade is lowered. This can result in the cord now being accessible to small children.
Since 1981, over 140 children have died by asphyxiation as a result of their accidental entanglement with a window-shade cord or the like. A majority of these entanglements were caused by the loops at the end of the window-shade cords. Usually, children, left unattended, would get caught by the neck in these loops and slowly suffocate. Even children as young as 8 months old have fallen victim to death by strangulation because window-shade cords were inadvertently left too close to their cribs.
This problem has become so serious, that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has made a significant effort to warn the population that all window-shade cords and chains should be kept permanently out of reach of children.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that will allow a parent or other concerned adult to store any excess length of a window-shade cord so that it is out of the reach of a young child. The device must also prevent the stored length from unwinding, and be aesthetically pleasing enough so that the average person will consider using it within their homes.